iFLEX 2025: Hot-Button Issues Take Center Stage During PAMA Panel
From the biggest challenges keeping them up at night to the emerging potential of AI platforms, an esteemed panel of operators kicked off PAMA’s education sessions on Saturday morning at iFLEX 2025, with a wide-ranging discussion of the industry’s hottest topics.
iFLEX is being held within The Car Wash Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center this weekend. Justin Cialella, president and CEO of Victory Lane and PAMA’s chair of government affairs, moderated the session that included the following panelists:
- PAMA Vice President Jason Lyon, Benny’s Car Wash & Oil Change
- Justin Krizman, Premier Oil Change
- Tyson Daniels, Grease Monkey
- Amani McCockran, Oil Changers
Unsurprisingly, tariffs came up early in the conversation. The panelists all stressed the need for a proactive approach, whether it is being prepared to pull levers on necessary price increases to account for rising costs, providing extra quality when performing services to keep ticket averages high, or looking for ways to increase car counts.
On the latter point of dwindling car counts, which has become a recurring issue in recent years, Lyon theorized that Benny’s locations aren’t losing customers on price, but largely because customers extending their drain intervals.
“We sell an experience, not a service,” he added. “It comes down to our people and the experience they are providing.”
Attendees lamented the challenges presented by competitors offering discounts as large as 50 percent off for oil changes. Cialella said such promotions are a gamble because “if you run with discounts without a long-term plan for what you are trying to accomplish, you’re on the road to zero.” He pointed to the tale of Kmart, which once became the largest retailer in the U.S. by undercutting its competition on the prices of its goods before pricing itself out of business entirely.
New Tools Making a Difference
The panelists shared ways in which artificial intelligence and other high-tech tools are making an impact on their bottom line.
McCockran outlined Oil Changers’ in-house communications system, which has helped stores work together across state lines, as well as smart cameras that Oil Changers is now positioning outside its stores. The cameras read license plates, allowing the shops to pull up customers’ vehicle data before they pull into bays. The technology is “not perfect, but you have to start somewhere,” McCockran said. The company’s long-term goal is to have its smart cameras tie into its point-of-sale system.
Krizman said using AI to perform certain tasks has lightened the burdens on store managers, while Lyon said the technology has been a boon for training. An AI-based training platform is being used at three Benny’s locations. Among its benefits is its ability to collect feedback from trainees that have allowed programs to be fine-tuned.
Attendees reported a wide range of usage of oil evacuation systems. Daniels said he is aiming for using evacuation systems on 80 percent of vehicles across his group of franchise locations, with fixed machines installed at each store. There has been a learning curve for some employees, he said.
For shop operators looking to get into using oil evacuators, Lyon recommended starting with mobile units, which are easier to use and replace.
Looking ahead, McCockran said shops need to be ready to accommodate customers who prefer to interact through apps instead of face-to-face conversations or phone calls.
Experimenting with online appointment scheduling has allowed Benny’s locations to manage customer traffic flow, Lyon said. The scheduling software used by Grease Monkey, meanwhile, has provided customers a chance to schedule a walk-in, a more flexible arrangement in which customers are assured of a finite wait time when they arrive within a certain window.
Government Affairs
Following the panel discussion, Towner French of the firm Cozen O’Connor took the stage to provide an update on several legislative fronts. French highlighted PAMA’s recent Advocacy Day efforts in Washington, D.C., noting productive meetings with federal legislators. Right to repair and oil pans were among the hot-button issues covered.
Cialella chimed in to encourage attendees to report information to PAMA when drain pan issues surface in their locations. Submissions can be made on the PAMA website.
On the topic of right to repair, French implored attendees who are interested in getting involved to seek out their representatives when they are home during Congress’ late-summer recess.
“We don’t beat OEMs and dealers without a louder voice,” he said. “There’s 60,000 repair shops and 3,000 dealerships. There are more of us than them.”
